Views from public invited on carrier bag ban in London

Local authority lobby group London Councils' proposals include a complete ban on throwaway shopping bags, a ban on plastic bags only, or a levy on shoppers and retailers. It follows London mayor Ken Livingstone's attack on Defra earlier this year for making it “impossible” to ban plastic bags in the city (see letsrecycle.com story).

Views expressed in the consultation, which runs until Friday, October 26, will help shape the 10th London Local Authorities Bill due to be submitted to Parliament in November.

London Local Authorities Acts give the capital's boroughs new powers to deal with nuisances that affect the environment and people's quality of life. The 9th bill received Royal Assent in July.

Chairman of London Councils, Councillor Merrick Cockell, said today (September 14, 2007), as the consultation was launched: “This is an opportunity for London and for Londoners to lead the country in a bold initiative.”

He added: “Inevitably, the big solutions to environmental issues will come from our cities, and London, as one of the world's truly global cities, is keen to step up to the mark and take the lead. I would urge everyone to seize this opportunity to help shape London's environmental future.”

London Councils roughly estimates that Londoners use around 1.6 billion bags a year but said the number of tourists in the capital could push this up. It added that around one in 200 bags is recycled and the rest are sent to landfill where they can take more than 400 years to break down.

Councillor Sean Brennan, London Councils executive member for sustainability, added:
“London's local authorities are at the sharp end of waste disposal, and as such, we are keen to take a lead on this issue. People need to realise that the ‘free' shopping bag they pick up in the supermarket is not really free at all – certainly not in its cost to the environment.

“Introducing a levy on plastic bags should help consumers think twice before picking them up in future. But if Londoners feel strongly enough to propose an outright ban on free throw away shopping bags, then that is what we will lobby for,” he said.